Boy George | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/boy-george
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2016Fri, 09 Dec 2016 15:37:43 GMT2016-12-09T15:37:43Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2016The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
Boy George: ‘We’re all clinging to a rock, and some people have got a better grip than others’https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/08/boy-george-were-all-clinging-to-a-rock-and-some-people-have-got-a-better-grip-than-others
<p>Nine years sober and back on tour, the Culture Club star talks about the power of positivity and why pop needs mystery</p><p>I can tell you from bitter experience that there are more relaxing ways of preparing for an interview with a legendary pop star than reading their memoirs and unexpectedly stumbling across a page where they explain at some length why they think you’re an arsehole. But there it is, or rather there I am, on <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6M68felxAa8C&amp;pg=PA133&amp;lpg=PA133&amp;dq=alexis+petridis+boy+george+review&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=2JVRbk0RuD&amp;sig=DTIpyqmql680_N2O4JFCvOyJJ9I&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjM9MiWh-LQAhWjOsAKHfVJC4YQ6AEINzAE#v=onepage&amp;q=alexis%20petridis%20boy%20george%20review&amp;f=false">page 133 of Boy George’s second autobiography</a>, 2006’s Straight, getting it in the neck as the result of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jun/17/artsfeatures.popandrock">an unnecessarily sour live review I wrote years and years ago</a>. Worse, I think he’s probably got a point; although I didn’t say he had never written a good song, I did say “Culture Club never had many good songs to start with”, which rather reckons without <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tI1_KlO6xI">Time (Clock of the Heart)</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH6KApqmrBk">Victims</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YewVugPHon4">It’s a Miracle</a>, among others, let alone his solo songs such as 2013’s gospelly power ballad <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCNF3wPgqFc">King of Everything</a>. At least I can console myself with the fact that I’m in pretty glittering company on the old blacklist: over the course of Straight, he lets pretty much everyone have it, from George Michael (“please shut up – throw her a cerise boa”) to Prince (“the Artist Formerly Known As Get a Personality”).</p><p>Nevertheless, it’s hard not to arrive at his publicist’s office with a degree of trepidation. But no, we’re all good. He has long distanced himself from Straight – he told an interviewer a couple of years ago that it was “the rantings of a deranged drug user”, written during a grim spiral that culminated in him ending up in prison in 2009 for assault and false imprisonment. He says he can’t remember the review in question, and he doesn’t bear grudges. “I forgive very easily, and I suppose, in the same way, I expect to be forgiven very easily as well. I grew up with that. My dad was very explosive, God rest his soul. He could fly off the handle like no one I’ve ever known, and I have definitely got that in my personality, that ability to sort of smash the house up and then say: ‘Put the kettle on,’ to have that kind of attitude of: ‘Well, I’m OK now, so everybody else has got to be OK.’ People are like: ‘No, I’m not OK, you just screamed at me,’ and I’m like: ‘Yeah, but get over it.’”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/17/boy-george-im-much-more-successful-and-happy-now-im-sober-the-voice">Boy George: 'I’m much more successful and happy now I'm sober'</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/20/how-we-made-do-you-really-want-to-hurt-me-culture-club-boy-george">Boy George and Jon Moss: how we made Do You Really Want to Hurt Me</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/08/boy-george-were-all-clinging-to-a-rock-and-some-people-have-got-a-better-grip-than-others">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgeMusicCulturePop and rockThu, 08 Dec 2016 15:30:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/08/boy-george-were-all-clinging-to-a-rock-and-some-people-have-got-a-better-grip-than-othersPhotograph: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesPhotograph: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesAlexis Petridis2016-12-08T15:30:03ZPete Burns obituaryhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/25/pete-burns-obituary
<p>Lead singer with Dead Or Alive best known for their 1985 hit You Spin Me Round who later became a reality TV star</p><p>Originally best known for his 1985 chart-topper <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUt5gpVcCPM" title="">You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)</a>, made with his band Dead Or Alive, Pete Burns later became a reality TV star, coming fifth in the final of Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, as well as a living advertisement for the dangers of plastic surgery. Burns, who has died of a heart attack aged 57, claimed to have undergone 300 surgical procedures, many of them in an attempt to repair previous botched efforts.</p><p>His heyday as a pop star in the mid-1980s coincided with the rise of the “New Pop” epitomised by Boy George and Culture Club, Wham! and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. With his ambiguous sexuality, androgynous look and spectacular fashion choices, Burns, after several years of trying, found himself in the right place at the right time. “Everything goes round in circles and luckily we’ve got the current sound of the moment,” he commented in 1984, a remark pointing to his inherent scepticism about fame, fashion and pop music.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/25/pete-burns-obituary">Continue reading...</a>Pop and rockTelevisionMusicUK newsCelebrityPlastic surgeryLiverpoolBig BrotherBoy GeorgeTue, 25 Oct 2016 14:14:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/25/pete-burns-obituaryPhotograph: Paschal/REX/ShutterstockPhotograph: Paschal/REX/ShutterstockAdam Sweeting2016-10-25T14:14:37ZMarilyn: ‘I sat in a room for 20 years, taking crack and watching the Alien films’https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/27/marilyn-peter-robinson-sat-in-room-20-years-taking-crack-watching-alien-films
In the 80s, the bitchy, ‘bloody gorgeous’ singer was groomed to be the next Boy George. Stardom beckoned – until drugs and a very lengthy breakdown got in the way<p>There was a time when the very sight of Peter Robinson in public could cause uproar. “I used to walk along Oxford Street on the way to the Embassy Club on an afternoon, because they used to do a cocktail thing there at four o’clock,” he says. “I’d have on an Anthony Price dress, fox fur, diamantes, the hair, the five-inch stilettos, fishnets, all of that. And the whole of fucking Oxford Street … cars would stop, people would crash into each other, guys would lean out of windows going, ‘All right, darlin!’”, builders on building sites would go fucking nuts and drop things, that kind of vibe. People didn’t look like me then; they just didn’t. <em>Women</em> didn’t look like that, let alone a man, a boy dressed up like that. People went fucking nuts.”</p><p>That was the best part of 40 years ago, when Robinson had already changed his name to Marilyn – turning a homophobic insult from his troubled youth into what would these days be called his brand – but some time before his brief brush with pop fame. If he doesn’t provoke quite such a stir today, he’s still adept at making a striking entrance. I’m sitting with my back to the door when he walks into the north London restaurant where the interview is taking place. He introduces himself by walking up behind me, covering my eyes and shouting: “Guess who?” (I’ve never met him before.)</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/27/marilyn-peter-robinson-sat-in-room-20-years-taking-crack-watching-alien-films">Continue reading...</a>Pop and rockMusicBoy GeorgeTue, 27 Sep 2016 14:55:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/27/marilyn-peter-robinson-sat-in-room-20-years-taking-crack-watching-alien-filmsPhotograph: Linda Nylind for the GuardianPhotograph: Linda Nylind for the GuardianAlexis Petridis2016-09-27T14:55:25ZBoy George: 'I’m much more successful and happy now I'm sober'https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/17/boy-george-im-much-more-successful-and-happy-now-im-sober-the-voice
<p>From making monster pop hits to being terrible at taking drugs, George opens up on Radio 2’s The Art of Artists – and it’s a fine reminder that he’s more than just a rent-a-gob in a giant hat </p><p>In a world of stage-managed celebrity interviews, Boy George is always good value and he’s Russell Davies’s guest as he wraps up the latest series of The Art of Artists (Radio 2).<br>As a former rent-a-quote type, George claims he no longer has to share everything about himself, so he comes across as relaxed and revealing. “People like my honesty. When I’m sane, I’m very much myself,” he says, before adding a knowing: “I’ve had moments.”</p><p>Back in the 80s, George’s parent-bothering penchant for dressing up wasn’t driven by a desire to become a celebrity, but “youthful belligerence”. “I was aware that the things that I did bothered people, but that only spurred me on even more,” he says. “The more I dressed up, the more people reacted … the more I wanted to do it.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/17/boy-george-im-much-more-successful-and-happy-now-im-sober-the-voice">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgeTelevision & radioCultureThe VoiceMusicThu, 17 Mar 2016 12:01:56 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/17/boy-george-im-much-more-successful-and-happy-now-im-sober-the-voicePhotograph: Ray Burmiston/BBC / Wall to WallPhotograph: Ray Burmiston/BBC / Wall to WallHannah Verdier2016-03-17T12:01:56ZGeorge Martin's AIR studio is a symbol of Montserrat's lost era as pop music hubhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/28/george-martin-air-studio-montserrat-paul-mccartney-stevie-wonder
<p>The once state-of-the-art recording facility, opened in 1979 in the Caribbean, is the place behind some of the 80s biggest hits – and it’s now decaying</p><p>Staring at her reflection in the old recording booth window, Michelle Graham recalled a seemingly long-lost era.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/28/montserrat-volcano-british-territory-geothermal-energy-tourism-sand-mining">'Ash to cash': Montserrat gambles future on the volcano that nearly destroyed it</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/28/george-martin-air-studio-montserrat-paul-mccartney-stevie-wonder">Continue reading...</a>AmericasMusicCaribbeanMontserrat holidaysPaul McCartneyBoy GeorgeStevie WonderStingVolcanoesNatural disasters and extreme weatherCaribbean holidaysCultureWorld newsMontserratThu, 28 Jan 2016 16:56:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/28/george-martin-air-studio-montserrat-paul-mccartney-stevie-wonderPhotograph: Ryan Schuessler for the GuardianPhotograph: Ryan Schuessler for the GuardianRyan Schuessler2016-01-28T16:56:47ZCan Boy George and Paloma Faith save The Voice?https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/08/can-boy-george-and-paloma-faith-save-the-voice
<p>The two newcomers should bring enough wit, guts and star-quality eccentricity to give the BBC’s singing contest the edge over The X Factor</p><p>The Voice is back for a fifth series this weekend, which isn’t the sort of news that has the nation on the edge of its sofa wondering who will be the new Stevie McCrorie.<br></p><p>Who? Exactly. But forget <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/05/scottish-firefighter-stevie-mccrorie-wins-the-voice">last year’s winner</a>. (Oh, you already have.) In fact, forget everything you have ever learned about The Voice, because Boy George and Paloma Faith are here to save its singing skin.<br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/08/can-boy-george-and-paloma-faith-save-the-voice">Continue reading...</a>The VoiceBoy GeorgePaloma Faithwill.i.amRicky WilsonThe X FactorEntertainmentTelevisionTelevision & radioMusicCultureFri, 08 Jan 2016 10:48:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/08/can-boy-george-and-paloma-faith-save-the-voicePhotograph: John Giles/PAPhotograph: John Giles/PAHannah Verdier2016-01-08T10:48:36ZTom Jones heads for green, green grass of home after losing spot on The Voicehttps://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/14/tom-jones-losing-spot-the-voice-boy-george
<p>Boy George surely doesn’t want to hurt him but ex-Culture Club frontman replaces Welsh crooner as judge for fifth series of BBC1 singing show</p><p>It’s not unusual for TV presenters to get a little upset when they are unceremoniously dropped from a programme. And Sir Tom Jones, a stalwart of BBC1 talent show <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/the-voice">The Voice</a>, was certainly that.</p><p>The singer criticised executives on the programme, claiming that he was sacked on Thursday “with no consultation or conversation of any kind”.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/30/bbc-the-voice-itv-rita-ora">BBC's The Voice 'could switch to ITV'</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/14/tom-jones-losing-spot-the-voice-boy-george">Continue reading...</a>BBC1BBCMediaTelevision industryThe VoiceTelevisionCultureBoy GeorgeTom JonesUK newsMusicFri, 14 Aug 2015 13:14:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/14/tom-jones-losing-spot-the-voice-boy-georgePhotograph: Ian West/Stewart Cook/PA & Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Ian West/Stewart Cook/PA & Rex FeaturesAlasdair Glennie2015-08-14T13:14:47ZMark Ronson's Glastonbury diary – in pictureshttps://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/jun/28/mark-ronsons-glastonbury-diary-in-pictures-boy-george-grandmaster-flash-mary-j-blige
<p class="p1" data-dropid="0">Mark Ronson was the best-connected man at the festival. And he proved it by ending his triumphant Friday set on the Other stage with a roll call of guests that included Boy George, Grandmaster Flash, Mary J Blige and George Clinton. We asked him to document his journey from the sun of the south of France to the mud of Worthy Farm. Photographs: Mark Ronson</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/jun/28/mark-ronsons-glastonbury-diary-in-pictures-boy-george-grandmaster-flash-mary-j-blige">Continue reading...</a>Glastonbury 2015Glastonbury festivalMark RonsonBoy GeorgeFestivalsMusicCultureMusic festivalsSun, 28 Jun 2015 15:42:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2015/jun/28/mark-ronsons-glastonbury-diary-in-pictures-boy-george-grandmaster-flash-mary-j-bligePhotograph: Mark RonsonPhotograph: Mark RonsonMark Ronson2015-06-28T15:42:52ZClean Bandit, Hozier and Boy George honoured at 2015's Ivor Novelloshttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/21/clean-bandit-hozier-boy-george-2015-ivor-novellos
<p>Clean Bandit took home two awards at this year’s industry event. Here’s the full list of winners at the 60th ceremony </p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/28/clean-bandit-terrible-cortana-advert">Classical crossover act</a> Clean Bandit took home two awards at the 60th Ivor Novello Awards on 21 May. </p><p>Taking place at Grosvenor House Hotel, London, the ceremony, which celebrates excellence in British and Irish songwriting and composing, was attended by the likes of Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Boy George. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/feb/13/clean-bandit-cleverest-most-stupid-band-in-pop">Clean Bandit: 'We're the cleverest and most stupid band in pop'</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/21/double-ivor-novello-nominee-streaming-shortchanges-songwriters">Double Ivor Novello nominee: streaming shortchanges writers</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/21/clean-bandit-hozier-boy-george-2015-ivor-novellos">Continue reading...</a>Ivor Novello awardsMusicCultureAwards and prizesPop and rockFKA twigsClean BanditJudith WeirBombay Bicycle ClubBoy GeorgeThu, 21 May 2015 15:14:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/21/clean-bandit-hozier-boy-george-2015-ivor-novellosPhotograph: Ray Tang/REX ShutterstockPhotograph: Ray Tang/REX ShutterstockGuardian music2015-05-21T15:14:50ZCuts: the 1980s hair salon that gave the stars their cutting edgehttps://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/apr/18/cuts-the-80s-hair-salon-that-gave-the-stars-their-cutting-edge
After 19 years working on the project, film-maker Sarah Lewis is ready to launch her documentary on the ongoing style phenomenon of Cuts<p>It was the creative hub of trend-setting Britain, a base for clubbers and a hangout for style gurus from David Bowie to Jean-Paul Gaultier. Cuts was where everybody who was anybody in 1980s London came to get their hair done.</p><p>Now film-maker Sarah Lewis is close to completing a feature documentary on the salon that has been 19 years in the making – – seven years longer than the time it took Richard Linklater to make the Oscar-winning <em>Boyhood</em>. She plans to raise the last £50,000 she needs through a crowdfunding campaign launched this month with <a href="https://www.phundee.com/reward/home" title="">Phundee.com</a>, a new London-based company.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/apr/18/cuts-the-80s-hair-salon-that-gave-the-stars-their-cutting-edge">Continue reading...</a>FashionDocumentaryBoy GeorgeDavid BowieSean PennFilmUK newsLife and styleWorking TitleSat, 18 Apr 2015 14:05:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/apr/18/cuts-the-80s-hair-salon-that-gave-the-stars-their-cutting-edgePhotograph: /Nic TuftSarah Lewis capturing Cuts: 'It’s not really just about the haircuts. You just become part of that community.' Photograph: Nic TuftPhotograph: /Nic TuftSarah Lewis capturing Cuts: 'It’s not really just about the haircuts. You just become part of that community.' Photograph: Nic TuftDalya Alberge2015-04-18T14:05:25Z30 Years Man & Boy A Calmer Chameleon: The Boy George Story review – technique and tantrumshttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/16/boy-george-culture-club-calmer-chameleon-review
Apart from Gary Kemp’s used-car salesman presenting style, a pleasingly in-depth, serious look at Culture Club’s career and legacy<p>Despite the Culture Club reunion spluttering to a halt at the end of last year, it provided Boy George with a sort of happy ending after his recent troubles. Part one of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02p7x3c" title=""><strong>30 Years Man &amp; Boy A Calmer Chameleon: The Boy George Story</strong> </a>(Radio 2) is a pleasingly in-depth look at Culture Club’s career. Looking past Gary Kemp’s presenting style, which has a touch of the used car dealership about it, the programme has the commanding, serious feel of a BBC4 documentary. It’s a pleasant surprise, given that Culture Club’s musical legacy is often overlooked by the gatekeepers of the rock canon.</p><p>The “pink sheep” of his family, we learn that the seeds of Culture Club were planted for George with Bowie’s line in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwStT-jA1X8" title="">After All</a> (“we’re painting our faces and dressing in thoughts from the skies”), Donna Summer’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2q2bis6eLE" title="">I Feel Love</a> and Tom Robinson’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmR3p3-LN94" title="">Glad To Be Gay</a>. Later, punk’s DIY ethos gives him the belief that he could make it as a singer and the iconic Blitz club (memorably described as a “hairspray infused jungle”) propelled him towards fame.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/16/boy-george-culture-club-calmer-chameleon-review">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgePop and rockMusicRadioTelevision & radioCultureThu, 16 Apr 2015 16:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/16/boy-george-culture-club-calmer-chameleon-reviewPhotograph: Sipa Press / Rex FeaturesInsight into the craftsmanship behind the singles … Boy George. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Sipa Press / Rex FeaturesInsight into the craftsmanship behind the singles … Boy George. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex FeaturesPriya Elan2015-04-16T16:00:01ZSteve Strange obituaryhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/13/steve-strange
Flamboyant nightclub host, leader of Visage and key figure in the New Romantic movement<p>Steve Strange, who has died of a heart attack aged 55, was one of the most influential figures in the London club circuit that launched the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s, and a hit-making pop star with his own band, Visage. Although his early success gave way to periods of drug addiction and poverty, Strange had recently been enjoying a revival in his fortunes and had re-formed Visage for live shows and a new album.</p><p>Strange will be most vividly remembered as the outrageously flamboyant host of a string of nightclubs that powerfully influenced the London fashion and music scenes in the aftermath of punk. In 1978, he and Rusty Egan (then drummer with the Rich Kids) began holding David Bowie nights on Tuesdays at Billy’s club in Soho, a squalid bunker situated beneath a brothel. “We played Bowie, Roxy [Music] and electro,” said Strange. “It was where our friends could be themselves.” Billy’s could hold only 250 people but swiftly developed an outsize reputation, numbering among its garishly clad clientele such stars-to-be as George O’Dowd (the future Boy George), Siobhan Fahey, later of Bananarama, and Marilyn.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/13/steve-strange">Continue reading...</a>Pop and rockClubbingMusicBoy GeorgeUK newsFri, 13 Feb 2015 17:20:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/13/steve-strangePhotograph: Denis O'Regan/CorbisSteve Strange hosted of a string of nightclubs that powerfully influenced the London fashion and music scenes in the aftermath of punk. Photograph: Denis O'Regan/CorbisPhotograph: Denis O'Regan/CorbisSteve Strange hosted of a string of nightclubs that powerfully influenced the London fashion and music scenes in the aftermath of punk. Photograph: Denis O'Regan/CorbisAdam Sweeting2015-02-13T17:20:11ZBoy George and Jon Moss: how we made Do You Really Want to Hurt Mehttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/20/how-we-made-do-you-really-want-to-hurt-me-culture-club-boy-george
Boy George: ‘I did play the victim. That was the role I took on: “Why are you doing this to me?”’<p>We made this in the very early days of drum machines. You’d find yourself working with a box about the size of a cigarette packet – and a manual nine times bigger. One day we started to fiddle around with it, and this little rhythm came back. We all loved reggae, and it turned into a reggae song. When we started mixing it, I was horrified – it was all rooted in the bass drum, making it sound very German, so I reversed it and made the top end of the percussion louder. If I hadn’t, it might not have been a hit.<br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/20/how-we-made-do-you-really-want-to-hurt-me-culture-club-boy-george">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgePop and rockMusicCultureTue, 20 Jan 2015 06:59:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/20/how-we-made-do-you-really-want-to-hurt-me-culture-club-boy-georgePhotograph: Chris Walter/WireImage‘I was barefoot as a homage to Sandie Shaw’ … (from left) Roy Hay, Boy George, Jon Moss and Mikey Craig. Photograph: Chris Walter/WireImagePhotograph: Chris Walter/WireImage‘I was barefoot as a homage to Sandie Shaw’ … (from left) Roy Hay, Boy George, Jon Moss and Mikey Craig. Photograph: Chris Walter/WireImageInterviews by Caroline Sullivan2015-01-20T06:59:05ZBreakfast of champions: Boy George’s green juicehttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/03/boy-george-green-juice-breakfast
The pop star and DJ starts his day the healthy way, with liquidised fruit and veg<p>Since getting sober in 2008, Boy George has embraced a raw food diet, and much of the time also avoids gluten and animal products. He often has juice days, during which he consumes nothing but “litres of greens”.</p><p><strong>Per serving</strong><br>Core and chop one or two crunchy green apples (Granny Smiths, say) and put in a blender with half a chopped cucumber, 200g washed raw spinach leaves, 50g washed, chopped raw kale and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Blitz until very finely pureed – the finer, the better – or juice in a juicer. Pour into a fine sieve (line with muslin, if you want it to be free of bits) set over a bowl or jug, using the back of a&nbsp;spoon to press the juice through. You should end up with around 300ml of&nbsp;liquid. Serve straight away, as it is, or over ice. If you prefer a sweeter juice, add more apple; if&nbsp;you like savoury flavours, add celery or a&nbsp;few fresh parsley leaves before blending.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/03/boy-george-green-juice-breakfast">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgeBreakfastLife and styleFood & drinkFruitVegetablesVegetarian food and drinkSat, 03 Jan 2015 06:00:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/03/boy-george-green-juice-breakfastPhotograph: Zoe More O'Ferrall for the GuardianIllustration: Zoe More O'Ferrall for the GuardianPhotograph: Zoe More O'Ferrall for the GuardianIllustration: Zoe More O'Ferrall for the GuardianRebecca Seal2015-01-03T06:00:10ZThe 10 best celebrity dietershttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/dec/26/the-10-best-celebrity-dieters
<p>The strangest celebrity regimes, as chosen by Alex Clark</p><p><strong>1| Elizabeth Taylor</strong></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/dec/26/the-10-best-celebrity-dieters">Continue reading...</a>Diets and dietingCelebrityLife and styleElizabeth TaylorBeyoncéGwyneth PaltrowJohn MalkovichBoy GeorgeAngelina JolieMuriel SparkRenée ZellwegerFri, 26 Dec 2014 12:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/dec/26/the-10-best-celebrity-dietersPhotograph: PRPhotograph: PRAlex Clark2014-12-26T12:00:01ZCulture Club cancel first tour for 12 yearshttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/14/culture-club-cancel-first-tour-for-12-years
<p>Boy George has vocal polyp that may require surgery. If he had toured he risked irreparable damage to his voice</p><p>Culture Club have called off their first tour in 12 years following medical orders that Boy George stop singing. The 53-year-old frontman may require surgery for a painful vocal polyp which was discovered last week.</p><p>“To say I’m devastated barely touches how I feel,” <a href="https://www.facebook.com/boygeorgeofficial/posts/10152327068162202">George wrote on Facebook</a>. At <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/26/culture-club-review-boy-george">Culture Club’s recent gigs</a> the singer was apparently playing through pain: “In true British fashion, I have ignored it, thinking the problem might just be tiredness,” he explained. But a Los Angeles doctor sent “a series of cameras down [his] throat”, uncovering a haemorrhaged polyp that won’t close when George sings. <br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/14/culture-club-cancel-first-tour-for-12-years">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgeMusicPop and rockCultureFri, 14 Nov 2014 07:58:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/14/culture-club-cancel-first-tour-for-12-yearsPhotograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesPhotograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesSean Michaels2014-11-14T07:58:46ZCulture Club review – much more than just the Boy George showhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/26/culture-club-review-boy-george
<p><strong>Heaven, London</strong><br>A reunited Culture Club pack a great punch but are careful to tailor their song choices to a huskier-sounding Boy George</p><p>Wearing a large lemon-yellow hat, sporting a short beard and looking trim in a black suit, Boy George joins the rest of Culture Club on stage with a half-smile. This is the band’s first full gig in 12 years – a dry run for arena dates in December, heralding a new album in January; this subterranean gay club was reportedly the venue for Culture Club’s first-ever gig. Fans have come from as far afield as New York. At one point Boy George tries out his Italian on the front row. “You have a faraway look,” he tells another fan.</p><p>Most people present probably realise the distance the band themselves have travelled to get here. Tonight, drummer Jon Moss, bassist Mikey Craig, guitarist Roy Hay and singer George O’Dowd are functioning as a tight and vivid unit again, having put decades of animosity, affairs, drug addiction, Boy George’s successful DJ-ing career, legal troubles and a proposed 2006 Culture Club tour with another singer behind them. They have company too. Three backing vocalists huddle on the right of the small stage, a three-piece brass section is crushed into a row stage left, while an auxiliary guitarist paces at the back.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/26/culture-club-review-boy-george">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgePop and rockMusicCultureSun, 26 Oct 2014 07:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/26/culture-club-review-boy-georgePhotograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesBoy George of Culture Club: 'the reedy sweetness of his voice has been replaced by a markedly huskier sound'. Photograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesPhotograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesBoy George of Culture Club: 'the reedy sweetness of his voice has been replaced by a markedly huskier sound'. Photograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesKitty Empire2014-10-26T07:00:02ZCulture Club review – Boy George puts his self-destruction behind himhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/22/culture-club-review-boy-george-reunion
<strong>Heaven, London</strong><br />Karma Chameleon twangs far harder than the original on Culture Club’s first tour in 12 years<p>The first time Culture Club played this basement nightclub, Smash Hits’ reviewer <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/13/rocks-backpages-neil-tennant" title="">Neil Tennant</a> didn’t see much of a future for them. They didn’t appear until 1am; moreover, he was unimpressed by the band’s “white, reggaeish rhythms”. Months later, in October 1982, the single <a href="http://www.muzu.tv/culture-club/do-you-really-want-to-hurt-me-music-video/2264620/" title="">Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?</a> hit No 1 and Culture Club were on the way to becoming one of the most significant pop groups of the 80s.</p><p>Unequivocal warmth greets the reunited band tonight. This show, <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/original-culture-club-lineup-reunites-first-time-14-years-20140812" title="">a warm-up for their first tour in 12 years</a>, was an instant sell-out, and fans are celebratory. Despite a handwritten “Cash only” notice, the merchandise stand is doing a steady trade in £20 T-shirts, and a few fearless punters have recreated the spirit of 1982 with tinsel neckerchiefs and Hassidic hats. They’re a good deal flashier than the band themselves, for whom black T-shirts, and a sober black suit for Boy George, suffice.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/22/culture-club-review-boy-george-reunion">Continue reading...</a>Pop and rockBoy GeorgeMusicCultureWed, 22 Oct 2014 10:47:26 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/22/culture-club-review-boy-george-reunionPhotograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesBlistering … Boy George of Culture Club on stage. Photograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesPhotograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesBlistering … Boy George of Culture Club on stage. Photograph: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesCaroline Sullivan2014-10-22T10:47:26ZHolly Johnson: ‘I was never very good at sucking up – it’s just not my style’https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/21/holly-johnson-new-album-tour-interview
Thirty years after topping the charts in Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Holly Johnson is back with a&nbsp;solo album. He talks to Craig McLean about gay rights, jet-set stunts and the Georges<p>In the hushed galleries of the Royal Academy on London’s Piccadilly, Holly Johnson – smartly shod and neatly jacketed, hands clasped behind back – is considering Dennis Hopper’s photographs. The former frontman of Frankie Goes to Hollywood is an art lover – his titanic 80s fame allowed him to meet Andy Warhol twice, and, after studying for an MA at art school in the early noughties, he even had his own paintings exhibited at the RA in 2001.</p><p>“Ooh, Jane Fonda in Chanel.” Johnson stops before Hopper’s portrait of the actress on her wedding day in Las Vegas in 1965, when she married <em>Barbarella</em> director Roger Vadim. Further on he finds a portrait of Brian Jones. “I never really liked the Rolling Stones,” the singer murmurs, in his almost theatrical Liverpudlian drawl. Growing up in Liverpool in the 60s, it was mandatory to follow the Beatles rather than those hairy southern johnnies.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/21/holly-johnson-new-album-tour-interview">Continue reading...</a>MusicGeorge MichaelBoy GeorgeAids and HIVLGBT rightsSun, 21 Sep 2014 08:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/21/holly-johnson-new-album-tour-interviewPhotograph: Richard Saker/n sc‘You won’t see me bumping and grinding these days’: Holly Johnson. Photograph: Richard Saker/n scPhotograph: Richard Saker/n sc‘You won’t see me bumping and grinding these days’: Holly Johnson. Photograph: Richard Saker/n scCraig McLean2014-09-21T08:00:09ZCulture Club's Boy George: 'I'm not camp. I'm a geezer'https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/18/culture-club-boy-george-not-camp-i-am-a-geezer
<p>Margaret Thatcher is great, as is Hilda Ogden. As for sexuality – he's 'not a raving queer'. Enjoy Boy George's Sounds interview from June 1982, thanks to Rock's Backpages<br></p><p>"People that plan interviews are really boring. I just say what I want when it comes into my head. People in Scunthorpe don't care what I say. And I'm not camp either. I'm a geezer. I'm not a raving queer, I've got a bit of character. I just ignore people who shout at me in the street. I just stick my head in the air, I'm not interested."<br></p><p>This is the very last, randomly-assembled thing that Boy George said to me before the Sony was shut off. He'd already ventured a great deal, spouting (in the nicest way) endlessly in his unforced, painfully (in the nicest way) honest manner, but not always in the best possible taste.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/18/culture-club-boy-george-not-camp-i-am-a-geezer">Continue reading...</a>Boy GeorgeMusicCulturePop and rockWed, 18 Jun 2014 14:07:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/18/culture-club-boy-george-not-camp-i-am-a-geezerPhotograph: Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarBoy George in 1983. Photograph: Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd<br>Photograph: Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarBoy George in 1983. Photograph: Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd<br>Betty Page2014-06-18T14:07:10Z